Babysitting Catastrophe
by DannyRoranicus44
Summary: After leaving Amy and Rory, the Doctor can't help but feel lonely. That is until he visits and old friend.
1. The Lonely God

**A/N: This idea just came to me in the middle of the night. I have a brief idea of where I want it to go but nothing concrete yet! **

**It's set between series 6 and 7 so after The Wedding of River Song but before The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe. **

**This is chapter is fairly short but the next chapters will be longer.**

**Reviews would be appreciated. Thank you.**

_The Lonely God_

The Doctor circled the console of the TARDIS, lightly touching some of the buttons as he walked past. He didn't press anything though – no, he wasn't in the mood for running down corridors and getting himself into dangerous situations.

Leaving the Ponds to get on with their own lives after he had faked his own death seemed like a good idea at the time. Rory had been right, so long ago, back in Venice. The Doctor hadn't believed him at first, he'd just shrugged it off but he could see it now. He led people into dangerous places with very little thought.

His life was dangerous, he could see that now. He was doing Amy and Rory a favour before it was too late. He was saving them. Perhaps one day he would see them again and be able to explain why but for now, no matter how much it pained him, he had to stay away, let them get on with normal lives. Perhaps Rory would even become the doctor he always wanted to be

But the Doctor needed company. It was just like after Martha left all over again. He would catch himself explaining things to thin air before remembering there was no one around. Only him. The Lonely God flying through space alone.

He needed to visit someone, if only for a few seconds. He still had River occasionally but new faces would be nice. Maybe he could even get away from the TARDIS for a couple of days, just for a change of scenery and some fresh air. Something to clear his mind.

Then, he smiled. Only very slightly but he smiled very weakly. It didn't take long, however for that weak smile to become a laugh and he set off, running around the console in glee, just like in the old days. For he knew exactly where to go.


	2. An Unexpected Visitor

**A/N: So this is the kind of length most of the chapters will be!**

**Reviews are appreciated. Thank you.**

"Alfie!" Craig called for his son, standing in the hallway at the foot of the stairs. "Have you got any homework?"

A young, eight year old boy with light brown hair appeared at the top of the stairs. "I don't know," he replied, frowning as he tried as hard as he could to remember.

"Go and check your bag," Craig smiled as his son scrambled to his feet and disappeared from view.

Craig remained at the bottom of the stairs, leaning against the wall slightly as he waited for Alfie to get back to him. Before Alfie had the time to reappear at the top of the stairs, the doorbell rang. He frowned as he looked towards the door. He was sure they weren't expecting visitors. "Sophie!" He called, hoping she would hear him from the kitchen.

"Yeah?" She asked, appearing in the archway leading through to the newly redecorated kitchen.

"We're not expecting any visitors, are we?" Craig asked her. If it was one of Sophie's friends at the door, he would rather she answered the door herself – he knew how chatty they could get.

Sophie shook her head, "No. Not that I can remember!"

"Oh, okay," Craig said just as the doorbell was rung again. He was about to turn around to answer it when something caught the corner of his eye. "Erm, you may want to check on the food. It seems a little bit smoky in there!"

Sophie spun around, froze momentarily as she took in the sight of the smoke before disappearing from view into the smoky kitchen. "Don't worry!" Craig could just make out her muffled words as pots and pans clattered about. "Everything's fine!"

Craig couldn't help but chuckle slightly. If the grey fog had been much thicker, he would have been more worried yet this wasn't the first time they had had a small amount of smoke in the house.

The person at the door must have gotten impatient since, when Craig turned back to the door, the letter flap had just been pushed open. "Hello? Anyone home? Craig?" Craig's jaw dropped in amazement. He recognised the voice but the last time he had spoken to the owner of the voice had felt like the last conversation they would have. "It's me! It's the Doctor!"

Craig dropped down so he was the same level as the letter flap and peered through the letterbox to find himself staring into the Doctor's eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you think I'm doing here? I'm visiting!" Craig could tell from the way the Doctor's eyes were shining that he was grinning like crazy. He could also imagine, due to past visits, that he was waving his hands around.

"But you were going to America! I gave you that hat!" Craig reminded him.

"Yeah! I remember! America! Lovely place, little bit dangerous. Oh! The Stetson – lovely hat, very cool! I'm sorry I didn't bring it back. Unfortunately I lost it, well, someone shot at it and it didn't seem as cool with a hole in it so I left it behind! I hope you don't mind," The Doctor began to ramble.

"No, no, not at all!" Craig shook his head. "I didn't use it anyway!"

"Dad?" Alfie's soft, quiet voice from behind him reminded Craig of the fact that they were talking through a letterbox. He couldn't help but wonder what Alfie was thinking.

"Ooh, is that Stormy?" The Doctor questioned when he heard the voice. "Actually, Craig, could I come inside? It's rather chilly out here."

"One second, Doctor," Craig told the Doctor before standing up and turning back to the stairs. Alfie was stood on the bottom step, holding a handful of books and trying as best as he could not to drop them.

"I have spellings and reading," Alfie said when Craig had looked at him. It took Craig a while to remember the question he had asked five minutes ago. "I'm going to need your help." As he spoke, Alfie's attention was taken to the door where the Doctor was jumping up and down, attempting to look through the window high above the door. "Who's that?"

"Go through into the front room, Alfie. I'll be with you in a bit," Craig told him, also getting distracted by the Doctor and looking his way rather than Alfie's.

Alfie placed his schoolbooks down on the stairs. "But there's a strange man outside."

"I've got it sorted, Alfie, now take your things through to the front room," Craig ordered the young eight year old.

"But there might be a strange man in the front room," Alfie argued, grabbing on to Craig for protection.

Craig sighed, "He's not a strange man. He's the Doctor."

"Have we got a new doctor?" Alfie frowned in confusion, pulling back from Craig in order to get a better look at the strange man.

"Hello? Have you forgotten about me? Craig? I'm cold!" The Doctor moaned loud enough to be heard from inside the house where Craig and Alfie stood.

"No. Not that kind of doctor. He's just a friend," Craig tried his best to explain to Alfie, ignoring the Doctor as best as he could.

"Hello, cold, freezing Doctor," The Doctor's voice could be heard in the background while Alfie and Craig spoke to one another.

Alfie cocked his head to one side. "If he's a friend, why aren't you letting him inside?"

"Because-" Craig was about to explain about what had happened the last two times the Doctor had visited – people disappearing and silver men – but then decided he should probably not mention that. It was starting to get dark and he didn't want to scare Alfie too much. "Fine!" Craig exclaimed, unlocking the door. Before he had even pushed the handle down, the Doctor had pushed the door forwards and jumped inside the house.

His smile faded as he looked around. "Where's Stormy? We got along really well! I taught him all about the stars," The Doctor spoke.

Alfie looked up at Craig, feeling uncomfortable around the strange man, "Who's Stormy?"

"Doctor, it's been seven years," Craig explained to him. "This is-"

"Oooh, sorry, the TARDIS is playing up again. She won't land where I tell her to," The Doctor explained.

"What's the TARDIS?" Alfie questioned. The Doctor opened his mouth, about to answer Alfie's question but quickly closed his mouth when he saw Craig shaking his head.

"Never mind about that," Craig told him. "Doctor, this is Alfie."

"He's Stormy? The Doctor questioned, moving closer to Alfie, who stepped back slightly. The Doctor crouched down so he was around the same height as Alfie and peered at him, squinting his eyes. "What happened to baby Stormy?"

"Seven years, Doctor," Craig reminded him.

"_Did you just say Doctor?"_


	3. Doctor, Teacher or Lodger?

**A/N: This chapter is fairly long! I got a little carried away!**

**Thanks for the favourites, follows and review!**

**As always, reviews are appreciated! Thank you.**

_Doctor, Teacher or Lodger?_

Alfie couldn't help but feel even more confused when Craig pushed the Doctor into the cupboard under the stairs after Sophie had called through from the kitchen.

Craig then went on to jump in front of the cupboard door just before Sophie walked through into the hallway. "No," Craig spoke quickly in response and Alfie couldn't help but question his lying abilities, let alone why he didn't want Sophie to see the strange man.

"I definitely heard the word doctor," Sophie continued, turning to Alfie. "What were you talking about?"

"Just about-" Craig began but didn't get very far as he was interrupted by Sophie.

"I wasn't asking you!" She pointed out to him, whilst her eyes stayed focused on Alfie who was unsure as to what to do.

"Well, erm, homework," Alfie answered as his eyes caught his schoolbooks on the bottom stair. He knew that Craig wanted to keep the strange man in the cupboard a secret from Sophie but wasn't sure whether he should stay quiet or not. They kept talking about stranger danger in school but never explained what to do if you had a feeling that your dad knows the stranger.

"Yes, he really should be getting on with that," Craig spoke up after Sophie noticed the books too.

"Go on then!" She smiled, picking up the books and handing them to Alfie before she returned to the kitchen.

Craig stepped away from the cupboard door once the coast was clear and guided Alfie towards the living room where he'd be able to do his work on the coffee table. Alfie was in the doorway when the Doctor burst out of the cupboard, looking highly frustrated as he fixed his bow tie. Craig ushered both Alfie and the Doctor into the living room and closed the door before anyone had the chance to do anything else.

"You pushed me in the cupboard!" The Doctor exclaimed, his arms waving around madly as he spoke. Alfie couldn't help but laugh at this, finding it strangely funny. "Hey, you!" The Doctor turned to point at him. "How would you like it if I pushed you in a cupboard?"

Alfie only shrugged in response – it depended on if the cupboard was a toy cupboard or not.

"Get on with your homework then, Alfie," Craig told him, smiling slightly at the Doctor's horror of being pushed into a cupboard.

"But, dad! It's spelling! I'll need your help to remember them!" Alfie complained as he dumped the books on the table.

"We'll need to see which ones you can spell correctly first," Craig reminded him.

"Probably none," Alfie grumbled as he settled down reluctantly to try and work on the spellings.

"You shoved me in a cupboard!" The Doctor continued to complain to Craig, hissing loudly in his ear.

"Yes, I know! I did it!" Craig responded, copying the Doctor's hissing tone as he spoke.

"I know you did it! Is that how you greet people now in the year, erm, the year," The Doctor glanced around until his eyes met a calendar on the wall. "Ah! The year 2019?" He hissed back. "Because I definitely prefer that kissing thing!" He leaned even closer to Craig. "What if you're nowhere near a cupboard? Do you push someone into a bush?"

"Of course not! It was Sophie!" Craig whispered back.

"What's wrong with Sophie?" The Doctor folded his arms. "I like Sophie!"

"Can you remember what happened the last two times we met?" Craig glanced towards Alfie, who was leant over his homework. Craig just hoped he wasn't listening in to the conversation. "A weird space thing above our house and those weird silver men things?" Craig exclaimed, rather noisily in the Doctor's opinion.

"You told her about the Cybermen?" The Doctor questioned.

"It just came out!" Was Craig's only defence.

"The whole story?" The Doctor continued to ask questions.

"Yes! She wasn't particularly happy," Craig admitted.

"I can understand why! I remember when I told Rory about Amy kissing me. That didn't go well-"

Craig could tell the Doctor was about to start with his infamous rambling so cut in, admitting his confusion within doing so, "What are you talking about?"

"You know," The Doctor awkwardly fixed his bow tie. "The almost kiss."

"What? No! I forgot about that!" Craig exclaimed, it was now his time to be horrified. "I was talking about Sophie being unhappy about Alfie being thrown into the danger!"

"Oh, yeah. That makes a lot more sense," The Doctor nodded in agreement. "You know, he's got a lot taller."

"As I said, it's been seven years."

"Yes, alright! I've already apologised for that!"

"So, are you leaving soon?" Craig asked, trying to fill the silence they had created.

"Well, I was hoping to stay here, get a break from the TARDIS," The Doctor confessed. "But if Sophie isn't very happy about the last time I was here and I can remember what happened the last time I stayed with you-"

"Don't worry about it, mate," Craig interrupted him yet again before the rambling could begin. "I'll go and talk to her. I'm sure she'll be fine about it. Alfie?"

Alfie looked up unhappily from his homework when his name was called, "Yes?"

"You'll be alright alone with the Doctor in here for a few minutes while I talk to your mum, won't you?" Craig asked him, remembering he was slightly unsure about the Doctor when they had been in the hallway. "He's an old friend from when you were a baby."

Alfie simply nodded before turning back to his homework, frowning in confusion.

"I won't be long," Craig announced to no one in particular before leaving the room.

Watching Alfie struggle with his homework briefly, the Doctor decided to go and see if he could help in any way possible. He crossed the room and collapsed down on the sofa beside Alfie before taking a look at the words the young boy needed to learn. "Ah, because!" The Doctor smiled, pointing to one of the words close to the top of the list. "That's an easy one!"

"For you, maybe," Alfie mumbled, glancing up at the Doctor.

The Doctor glanced around awkwardly before continuing to scroll down the list, "Very! That one's easy, right?"

"Nope," Alfie shook his head, popping the 'p' and handed the Doctor his sheet of paper where he'd spelt both because and very incorrectly. The Doctor frowned slightly as he read down the list of words Alfie had attempted to spell. Alfie sighed when he saw the Doctor's facial expression. "I have dyslexia," he explained.

-BC-

Craig crept into the kitchen, still trying to word what he was going to say. He stepped into the kitchen before realising that he hadn't finalised what he wanted to say. He tried to escape before Sophie would notice him but it was too late.

"How's Alfie getting on?" Sophie asked, searching through the cupboard for Alfie's preferred plate.

"He's fine," Craig replied before deciding just to go with it. "You know how you heard me talking about the Doctor earlier?"

Sophie sighed, placing the plate on the counter and shutting the cupboard door, "He's here, isn't he?" Craig nodded in response, almost sighing in relief, Sophie didn't seem too bad. "Where is he?"

"In the other room, with Alfie."

-BC-

"Don't worry about that!" The Doctor told Alfie, shrugging it off as if it was nothing. "I bet you a sweet that I can teach you to spell both very and because before your dad comes back in!"

"You're on!" Alfie grinned with a short nod after thinking the deal through for a minute.

"Okay! Let's start with because. Do you have a good memory?" He asked.

"It's alright."

"Then just remember: big elephants can always understand small elephants," The Doctor told him.

"Big elephants can always understand small elephants?" Alfie repeated, confused.

"You've got it!" The Doctor grinned. "Just remember that and you'll be able to spell because!"

"How?"

"Because because starts with a b, just like big, elephants starts with an e, can starts with a c, always starts with an a," the Doctor started to list.

Alfie caught on, "Understand starts with a u, small starts with an s and elephants starts with an e!"

"Yeah and each of those starting letters, in order, spells because!" The Doctor grinned.

"So B, E, C, A, U, S, E?" Alfie spelt correctly, although slowly.

"You've got it!" The Doctor grinned. "High five!" The eight year old laughed and hit his hand against the Doctor's in triumph.

-BC-

"Are we in danger again?" Sophie asked Craig, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"No, well, I don't think so. He just wanted a change of scenery," Craig informed Sophie of everything he knew.

"When's he leaving? Does he want to stay for dinner?" Sophie questioned.

"That's the thing, he was hoping to lodge with us again," Craig told her. "We do have a spare room," he reminded her before she could say anything.

-BC-

"Now then, how do you spell very?" The Doctor quizzed.

"You're meant to be telling me a way to remember it," Alfie pointed out in order to remind him.

"I know but first I want to know how _you _spell it," The Doctor explained to him.

"Wrongly," Alfie sighed, slouching back in his chair.

"Just tell me!" The Doctor pestered.

"I never know if it's one r or two though!" Alfie complained but gave in when the Doctor didn't say anything in response. "V, E, R, R, Y?"

"Okay," The Doctor nodded slowly. "Now tell me, what does very mean?" The Doctor asked.

"A lot?" Alfie answered slowly and unsurely, not very confident about his answer.

"That's right! So in the word very, you don't want very many r's meaning you only want one r, not two!" The Doctor told him, hoping that would help Alfie remember it – he wanted that sweet!

-BC-

"I don't know Craig," Sophie sighed.

"Look, I know you're worried and I know you don't want Alfie to be put into more danger but maybe, just maybe this time will be third time lucky?" Craig tried to convince her.

"But both times! The last two times he was here – the only times we've met him you've been thrown into danger," Sophie argued. "Isn't that too much for a coincidence?"

-BC-

"So V, E, R, Y?" Alfie frowned as he spelt the word.

"Correct!" The Doctor jumped up onto his feet. "I think someone owes me a sweet!"

"But what about the other words?" Alfie asked. "I need to learn them for my spelling test."

"One step at a time!" The Doctor laughed. "Besides, that wasn't the deal!"

The white door leading through to the hallway opened to reveal Craig and Sophie. Alfie jumped to his feet grabbed the piece of paper and ran to his parents before they could speak. He handed Sophie the paper then stepped back. "Please let him stay!" He begged.

"How did you know?" Craig asked but got no reply from the excited boy.

"He's already taught me two of my spellings! Look! Test me on because and very!" Alfie bounced in excitement as he spoke.

"Okay, smart alec, spell very," Sophie laughed lightly at his excitement.

Alfie stopped bouncing in order to concentrate for a minute then spoke, "V, E, R, Y." He froze, looking from Craig and Sophie to the Doctor. "Am I right? That's right, isn't it?" The Doctor nodded, smiling.

"Now because," The Doctor prompted when no one else said anything.

It took Alfie slightly longer with this one since it was a longer word and he was going through the sentence in his head as he spelt out loud but he got it in one much to his amazement and satisfaction.

"Well that definitely settles it! You're staying, Doctor!" Sophie laughed at her son's joy.

"Yay!" Alfie bounced even more when he heard the good news. "I'll take you to the spare room," he told the Doctor dragging him by the arm and past Craig and Sophie.

"Oh, thank you!" The Doctor laugh as Alfie dragged him at high speed through the hallway.

"Hold on, young man," Sophie called from the doorway into the living room as Alfie and the Doctor reached the stairs. "What about the other spellings?"

Alfie glanced at the Doctor with a small smile before turning back to Sophie. "One step at a time, mum," he laughed.


End file.
